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drumming

Stewart Copeland of The Police — with content of his own inscribed on his tom heads.

Is drumming “content”? Heck yeah. Forthwith, as a Digression, my all-time rock drummers. This list is based on four criteria:

Considerable body of work

Technical proficiency

Combination of power, groove and musicality

Clear list of memorable beats and/or fills

But perhaps the biggest criterion is this: These drummers have left some sort of creative mark on the drummer in me.

10. PATRICK CARNEY, The Black KeysThere’s a lot of sonic room to fill in a small garage rock outfit, and Carney does it with swampy beats, uptempo rave-ups and semi-intricate but repeating variations on basic drumbeats. Quintessential performances: “Chop and Change”; “Hell of a Season” and “Dead and Gone,” El Camino; “Howlin’ for You,” Brothers; “Set You Free,” Thickfreaknesshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA8OWtiTMvY

9. JOEY WARONKER, Beck
A highly versatile drummer who is the major contributor to the funkiness at the heart of some of Beck’s very best work — Odelay, Mutations, Midnite Vultures, Sea Change, Guero and Modern Guilt. Quintessential performances: “Where It’s At” and “Novacane,” Odelay

7. TERRY CHAMBERS, XTC
Embraced drumming in the hard-edged punk/new-wave era in a way that was soulful and musical. Unique hi-hat, off-beat cymbal crashes, and percussion accents. Quintessential performances: “Making Plans for Nigel,” “Helicopter,” and “Millions,” Drums and Wires; “Living Through Another Cuba,” “Towers of London,” and “Paper and Iron (Notes and Coins),” Black Sea; “Senses Working Overtime,” English Settlement

4. RINGO STARR, The BeatlesRock’n’roll drummers were practically aural and visual wallpaper until Ringo; highly distinctive style; always on tempo and rhythm; musicality allowed him to progress along with his ridiculously talented band. Quintessential performances: “Ticket to Ride,” Help!; “Rain” (which Ringo considered his best recording); “Tomorrow Never Knows,” Revolver; “Dig a Pony,” Let It Be

2. URIEL JONES, The Funk Brothers
From the early 1960s through the early 1970s — the height of Motown’s popularity — Jones was the backbeat of the unheralded studio band the Funk Brothers. His discography is a virtual college-level course on how to drive a pop song with powerful drumming without overwhelming it. Quintessential performances: “You Can’t Hurry Love,” the Supremes; “I Can’t Get Next to You,” the Temptations; “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Marvin Gaye; “War,” Edwin Starr; “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” The Undisputed Truth